A Second Life
by Canadian Ham
Summary: My crazy dream about Bleach by Tite Kubo. Many of the characters are the same. The world is falling into darkness, hanging onto a small hope. The hope that a hero can save it from falling into black. This hero, who dosn't think of himself as a hero, saves that world, but is frozen in time, only to be awaken 300 years later.
1. Chapter 1

The world was dark, in chaos, soaked in the blood of millions. This was Earth when all hell broke loose.

They were losing the battle; the Hollows were advancing, sending forth a never-ending wave of darkness and despair. Rukia and Renji dragged an unconscious body down the cracking hallway and into a windowless room. In that room sat a strange device; a metal closet. They propped the bleeding body up on a wall. Rukia took out her cell phone and texted these words:

We have him.

Come to the Deliverance room.

Rukia.

They only had to wait a few minutes until a troop of people came in. A tall, muscular, dark skinned man with his arms covered in weird markings that changed his skin color, a slender teen dressed in a white robe with a spiritual bow attached to his arm, and a young lady with long hair the color of honey with an enormous chest. The young lady immediately ran over to the bleeding figure. Before she could reach the body, Renji grabbed her and said,

"We do not have time. We have called you here so you could spread the news to the captains." Rukia went over to the metal closet and opened it.

"We are going to use him"

she nodded to the body,

"to stop the war by sending out all of his spiritual energy to obliterate the Hollows."

She looked away. The young lady started to protest but Rukia cut her short.

"This is our last card, Inuoe; we'll all die if he doesn't do this. At least this way, he has a chance of surviving. The closet does its best to keep the occupant alive. When all is safe, it will let him go."

Renji added under his breath,

"If he survives."

Rukia sent him the evil eye.

"Shut up."

The closet door was now open, and they saw a metal chair inside with iron shackles. Rukia looked at each in turn.

"It's ready."

The big man and Renji lifted the body into the chair and put the shackles on. The bands of iron started to glow with spiritual energy. They backed away and Rukia closed the door. She turned to them.

"We have a minute before it starts; run and don't look back."

Everyone turned and ran except for Inuoe. She took a black marker from her pocket and wrote on the metal closet, a name. Then she turned and ran. She barely got out of the building before a wall of_ His_ energy swept past her, and the world was black.

I walked down the country street, braiding my long black hair as I walked to the lake for a picnic. I love spending time at Aunt's house, it's so peaceful, and what's better is that there are no annoying boys around here to tease me. I reach the lake and sit on the bank in the shade of an old cherry blossom tree. Looking around, I see a troop of ducks swimming along the surface of the water and wonder what it's like to be a bird, free and calm. Searching through my bag, I find my book on the War of Black that I borrowed from my Aunt, and open its pages. Compared to most nonfiction books, it was excellent, and I could not stop reading it. Apparently, it was written by a survivor of the war, Urya Ishda, who knew what had let the Soul Reapers win the battle with the Hollows, though he had not revealed it yet. The day was warm, with a soft breeze that caressed my face. Soon, in the afternoon sun, I fell asleep.

I heard a great splash and awoke to find myself drenched in water. At first I thought that the village boys had dumped me with water, but after I had looked around for them, I saw a curious metal closet sinking slowly into the water. For some reason, I felt an urge not to let it sink, and kicked off my shoes and pulled off my socks so I could dive after it. Somehow, I managed to drag it to the shallow end, and spent the next hour getting it to dry land. Then I ran home and got my Aunt's old pickup truck. Gasping for breath, I heaved the closet up the ramp and into the bed of the truck. Then I went back home to my Aunt's house.

My Aunt wasn't an actual blood relative, but since my mother and father had died, she was the closest thing I had for a parent. Her real name was Masmoto, but she liked ne to call her Aunt. She was fairly young, around thirty, with dark strawberry blond hair and mm….. outsized breasts. She was kind of eccentric, but I loved her anyways. She was currently working for an archeological dig site that was looking for artifacts from the time of the War of Black that took place 300 years ago. When I arrived at the house, it looked the same as always: pink shutters with flower boxes under the windows, roses climbing the white walls, and a gently sloping roof with a small chimney in the middle. I parked in front of the door and called out to her,

"Auntie, come help me with something."

She came out from the house with a lacy apron on and flour coating her hands.

"Now what do you have here, Hisian?"

I showed her the closet and told her how I had found it. Her brow furrowed.

"Let's take it inside and open it; this looks really old."

She ran to the shed and brought a wagon to carry it in. After we had put it on the wagon, we rolled the closet into the house. Auntie left to get something, while I stared at it until she came back.

"Here."

She gave me a helmet and protective goggles. I put them on and approached the closet. Slowly, I turned the handle. When I saw what was inside, I stumbled backwards. It was a young man, around seventeen years old, covered in blood, chained to a chair. Behind me, Auntie stood ridged with shock. Then he coughed, and a fountain of blood spewed from his mouth.

That shook us to our senses. We ran forward and started unchaining him. Gently, we set him on the floor, where a pool of blood started to form. Auntie started dabbing at him with her apron.

"Go get something to stop the bleeding. Find my sewing kit. Hurry!"

I went to the kitchen and grabbed some washcloths. Then I grabbed a needle and thread. Auntie was a nurse at the Archeological dig, and knew how to preform minor operations. After we were done, we started cleaning the blood off of him.

Then we waited.

He had bright orange hair and was tall and muscular, dressed in black robes and sandals that were strangely old fashioned. He had a fierce face that looked almost sad. But strangest of all, he had a huge sword strapped to his back. I got up and started looking at the metal closet for clues about this strange person who had landed in the middle of the pond. Inside the closet was only the blood soaked chair and chains, but on the door, in the old script, was a name. Slowly I read it out loud.

"Ichigo Kurosaki."

Behind me, Masmoto gave an unnoticeable flinch.

We sat in silence for a few more minutes until Auntie went to get some tea for us. I moved my hand toward his brow, about to wipe some blood away that was drying around the hairline when he began to stir. Slowly, his eyes opened. Quickly, I took the several pillows from the sofa and propped him up on them.

"Who are you?"

He didn't respond. His eyes stayed blank. Auntie walked back in with a tray of tea and knelt beside him.

"Hisian, try speaking to him in the old tongue."

Since I was five, Auntie has taught me the old language, which I can now speak as fluently as her. I leaned over him and asked him in the old tongue,

"What happened to you?"

His face barely showed recognition. I turned back to Auntie.

"Shouldn't we take him to a doctor?"

She shook her head.

"We can take care of him ourselves, plus the local doctor has not returned from her trip to the city."

I nodded slowly, thinking. In the old speech, I told him our names.

"Is your name Ichigo Kurosaki?"

He replied slowly, his brow furrowed,

"I don't know."

He thought a bit more.

"It could be."

I thought about the name. It sounded familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had heard it… maybe I had read it? Auntie was helping him sit up to drink some tea. I spoke to them both in the old tongue.

"Let's call him Ichigo."

Auntie nodded

"It fits."

After Ichigo finished his tea, we helped walk\ carry him to the guest bedroom where he promptly collapsed. I pulled the blankets around him and left the room.

"Auntie, should I stay here with him in case he needs something?"

Auntie went to the hallway and brought in a chair.

"I think that is a wonderful idea."

A cloaked figure strode quickly down the wood paneled hallway, past guards who bowed as she rushed by. She burst into a room, flinging its double doors wide. She addressed the council of fifteen surprised captains. Gasping for breath, she announced,

"He's back."

Over the next few weeks, I helped Ichigo recover from his mysterious wounds. He never gave us any information on his past life, and we didn't press him. Sometimes, I see him looking off into space or staring at the ceiling for long periods of time, and I wonder what he is thinking of. This is what he was doing one day when I brought some tea to his bed. As I sat down he noticed me and moved over.

"What are you thinking about?"

He looked down at his hands which were covered in scratches.

"This place seems different. I…"

He paused for a moment and furrowed his brow.

"I don't think I've been to a place like this."

I lifted his chin up.

"What do you mean, you don't think?"

He looked down at his hands again.

"I don't remember anything."

This time I held his head up.

"Nothing, not even your parents, your house, your friends?"

He pushed my hand aside, but kept his head up.

"I have no memories."

Over the next few days, Ichigo healed enough to move around the house. He did his best to help, but since the only thing helpful to do around the house is to clean, he did more damage than help. Ichigo, to put it plainly, is dead clumsy. All he had to do was to put something in his hand, and he would accidently break it. After two brooms, half a dozen plates, three vases, and a lamp, we took Ichigo off of cleaning, and I started teaching him how to cook. Soon he could cook as well as my aunt did, so he began cooking for us each night. While I sat in the kitchen as he prepared supper, I taught him the current tongue and the customs that went along with it. As the days went by, Ichigo gradually became stronger, and he was soon able to outside work. Every day, we worked side by side, tending the garden, and making flowers grow. Ichigo was unnaturally good at making roses develop. Among all of his roses, one rose bush grew the best, a special black rose he had cultivated from a seed. It grew, as if it were alive, up the side of the cottage at an enormous rate. Sometimes, when I looked out the kitchen window, I thought I saw the vines moving.

But that's impossible, vines can't move on their own.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

After about a month, we let Ichigo leave the house and come for walks with me. We strode side by side on the dirt road bordering the lake. I coached him in the "New Tongue," as he called it.

"_Now say _terrible"

He mouthed the word for a second.

"Ter…rib…le_"_

I nodded.

"_Now try _war._" _

He cocked his head.

"_What is_ war?"

Without breaking stride, I answered.

"War _is bad. It destroys everything in its path_."

He sent me a sideways glance.

"War _is an animal_?" I snorted.

"_It sure is."_

I sighed.

"War _is a conflict that involves thousands of people killing each other."_

"_It sounds like_ terrible _and _war_ go together."_

I kicked a pebble.

"_They sure do."_

Ichigo thought for a moment and then his face lightened.

"_Be back,"_

and he raced back along the path.

"_Be careful,"_

I yelled back to him. I rounded the corner and found my path blocked by a couple of teenagers throwing stones at a half dead cat. I ran, than slid, covering its still body with my own. One of the boys began to laugh.

"Look guys, a cat lover! And a cute one too!"

He leaned in close.

"Wanna play?"

I spit.

"Not in your dreams, animal killer."

He scowled.

"Fine, you can just have the same fate as it."

He drew back his hand, and smacked me across the face.

I punched his stupid face.

He staggered back, holding his nose.

"Get her!"

They all pilled on her, pulling her hair back so their leader could see her face.

"You, little whelp!"

He drew a switch blade and inched closer.

"I'll disfigure that pretty face of yours."

He brought his arm down, and I stared at him in horror, waiting for it to enter my flesh. I closed my eyes, and waited for pain.

It never came.

I opened my eyes. A figure stood in front of me.

"_What are you doing? Idiot, you would have killed her."_

Ichigo turned around and casually brushed the people who were holding her down off.

"_Are you fine?"_

I just stared at the switch blade that was imbedded in his right side.

"Ichigo, you.."

He flicked the boy that had the switch blade, and the teen flew backwards.

"_Hmm? Hisian, you're speaking in the wrong tongue_."

He turned around to face the scared teen who he had sent flying.

"_Not so tough now."_

"_Ichigo, the knife, it's in your chest!"_

He looked down.

"_O… it is."_

He coughed, and blood splattered across the path. He put out a hand, and I grabbed it. He pulled me to my feet as the group of teens scattered. I managed to grab one as he ran by. It was a scrawny brown haired girl with freckles.

"Please let me go! I didn't think that Earl would harm you or that it would go so far."

I nodded my head.

"Just bring some help from the town."

I let go, and she scampered away. Ichigo spit some more blood out.

"_Help? I'm fine. See."_

He walked forward a few steps before falling to a knee.

"_Suddenly,"_

he gasped for a few seconds,

"_I can't breathe."_

Blood dribbled down his chin.

"_I guess the blade…. got my lung. This sensation…. It feels familiar…. This pain_."

Before I could stop him he pulled the switchblade out. A fountain of spurted out before it slowed to a stream.

"_Ichigo! That was stupid, I thought you would have more sense than that!"_

I tried in vain to stop the bleeding with his jacket.

He shrugged, a casual gesture that seemed out of place in this situation.

"_I thought that it would hurt less…"_

"_I would think that you would know about handling injuries from that accident…. And knowing how accident prone you are, those probably weren't the first."_

Already blood was bleeding through the cotton jacket.

"_It's not like I…remember anything about…. that." _

He tried to get up, using my shoulder to drag his body skyward. He succeeded only at standing up when he hung completely on me.

"_Ichigo, we'll have to somehow get to the village this way."_

He was so tall compared to me; his head and chest were lying on top of my head.

"_Hisian….. I'm too big for you to drag…. all the way to town by yourself. Why don't you…. Just sew me up… like before?"_

Staggering under his weight, I answered.

"_Auntie is the one who fixed you up, though even if she were here, she probably couldn't fix you . All of your wounds when we found you were superficial_."

Slowly, we staggered down the dirt road toward town. As time ticked by, I could feel Ichigo's blood seeping through my shirt, soaking my back as well as his front. His breathing became more ragged.

"_Hisian, let's stop…. I need to catch my breath."_

I didn't want to stop in fear that we wouldn't get going again. Blood dripped down my neck, trickling down my back, leaving a red streak that I couldn't see, but I could feel. With an enormous effort, Ichigo detached himself from me. He fell to a knee. Lifting his head, he showed me his goofy, yet strangely sad smile. With one hand he held his chest in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding. With the other, he pulled an object out of his pocket.

"_I watch you all the time; how you feed that stray cat, how you raised that robin fledgling, how you watch out for everything…. and care about life. You even look out for someone like me….. who just dropped into your life; taking time to teach me about… everything." _

His breaths grew more ragged.

"_I hope you like it." _


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: **

It was a bean plant. Its small white roots, clumped together by soil, were still attached to the stem, looking frail in Ichigo's large hands. Handing it to me, he said,

"The roots…. They're just like you. They support the stem…. grounding the plant… keeping it from flying away."

I took the plant with trembling hands. As I put the frail shoot into my pocket, he added,

"I wanted to cheer you up….. so you wouldn't think about those words….. terrible and war."

He let both his hands fall. The hand that had previously held his wound was now pressed against the ground, leaving a red handprint on the dirt road. I couldn't just stay here; losing precious time as the seconds ticked by.

"Ichigo, stay here, I'm going to get help."

I could hear his ragged breathing.

"Don't take too long, I'll be waiting."

I ran, and ran, and ran. Breathless, I reached the village. Shila, the Innkeeper, called hello, and I ran to her. "Hey Shila," I gasped. "Is Dr. Unohana back from the city yet?" "In fact, she just came back. But Hisian, I wouldn't bother her. Apparently, that medical conference was very tedious." "It's urgent." I grasped her hands in thanks. "I'll be going." I turned and ran toward Dr. Unohana's house.

It was a modest house, with a short white fence that encircled the neat yard. After jumping the fence, I banged on the door, calling "Dr. Unohana! I need your help! Ichigo's in trouble!" I heard footsteps, and the door was calmly opened. Framed in the doorway was Dr. Unohana carrying a black doctor's bag. "Did you just say Ichigo?" For a moment, I thought I saw apprehension flicker across her face. As she straightened the thick black braid that hung down her chest, I decided that just must have been a trick of the light. "Yes Doctor, I said Ichigo. Do you know him?" Her face was impassive. "No…. that name is just unusual." "Come on Doctor, we need to hurry." "Of course Hisian." If there was anything I loved more about Dr. Unohana than he awesome hair, it was that she almost never asked questions. We got into the front of her white truck, and we sped to that little dirt road where Ichigo lay dying.

When we came to his end of the road, Ichigo was on his side, lying in the dirt. "Hey Hisian…. I knew you would come." Dr. Unohana bent over him, looking under his shirt to inspect the wound. Then she came over to me. "He should be dead." I went all cold inside. "What?" She shook her head sadly. "With this kind of wound, he should have died very soon after the puncture of the lungs. This is truly a miracle; it's as if he has magic that reproduces blood cells and slows down the process of death." I felt a spark of hope. Ichigo was unusual, that was for sure. After finding him in that metal closet, she had begun to think that maybe he was not entirely human. "Can you save him?" Dr. Unohana went back over to Ichigo and tore open his shirt. "The fact that he is still awake is a good sign. I will do my best.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

I was sitting in the hospital's hallway; waiting for her operation on Ichigo to finish. After giving a shot that had knocked him out at the road, the Doctor somehow stabilized him, and they got him into the back of the truck. After that, there was a nervous drive back to town, where I had driven, and Dr. Unohana had stayed in the back with Ichigo. There was one tense moment where Ichigo had stopped breathing, and both Dr. Unohana and I had thought the worst until I hit a bump in the road, and he had started breathing again. Never again would I complain about potholes. We neared Farmer Bond's house, (who had his own small four passenger plane) and when we got there, the plan's engine was already running. Farmer Bond ran up to the car and shouted over the engine,

"News travels fast in a small town like this! Get the boy in the back!"

We all loaded into the small plane. I held Ichigo steady as the plane took off from the dirt runway.

"We'll reach the hospital in no time."

I nodded my thanks to Farmer Bond fifteen minutes later as the plane landed, and we loaded Ichigo into a waiting gurney. Dr. Unohana had radioed ahead, and the hospital staff was ready. They wheeled him into a white, sterile room and I had not seen him and Dr. Unohana since.

A young trainee nurse, around my age, in a pink pair of scrubs came over to me and put an arm around my shoulders. I looked at her and thought that boys must love her. She had a pretty face with big, grey, eyes and long honey colored hair. She had huge breasts, but she didn't seem like she showed them off. I liked her immediately.

"Don't worry; Dr. Unohana is the best doctor around here. She could work in the capital hospital if she wanted to."

I didn't trust my voice, so I nodded in thanks.

"I'm Inoue Orihime by the way. I'm working as an intern until school starts back up again in a few weeks."

I nodded.

Slowly, Inoue drew me out of my shell until I had momentarily forgotten about Ichigo. That was until Auntie came running down the hallway, clothes disheveled and hair in a mess.

"Is Ichigo all right?"

Inuoe and I looked at the operation room door.

"We don't know yet, no one's come out."

Auntie breathed a sigh of relief.

"At least if Dr. Unohana hasn't come out, we know that worst hasn't come to worst."

Then silently, we all sat down, and stared at the door. No one talked for a few minutes until Inuoe said,

"I think I hear something."

"The surgery was a success; Ichigo is sleeping off the anesthesia."

We all got up.

"Can we go see him?"

Dr. Unohana nodded.

"The hospital staff has moved him into the adjoining room next to the operation room. There's not much to see, but be sure to disinfect your hands. Masmoto, I need you to come with me for a minute."

We walked through the operation room as three nurses left Ichigo's. One of the nurses stopped to talk to me.

"He's fine sweetheart. When you go in try not to disturb him. Although…"

She paused,

"I don't think a herd of elephants could wake him up. He's got enough anesthesia in him to keep him sleeping till October."

She patted my shoulder as she left.

With Inuoe by my side, I opened the door to Ichigo's room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 **

The nurses were right, he was dead asleep.

He was lying on a white hospital bed with the impossibly clean white sheets pulled up to his chest. In a corner, there was the constant beep of the heart rate machine. By his bed side was an IV stand with a pouch of clear fluid on one side, and a pouch of blood on the other. The room was otherwise bare except for a chair in the corner. Inuoe and I inched closer until we could see the rise and fall of his chest as he took in breaths. Inuoe poked him as if she was making sure he was real. I felt like doing the same.

"So… this is Ichigo…. I never imagined he would be like this."

I shrugged. His wrist, which was lying on top of the sheets, had tubes inserted at the point where you could see the blue blood vessels. I could see dirt under his fingernails, the same dirt that had clung to the roots of the bean plant he had given her. I took the small plant out of my pocket, and found an old plastic bottle for it in the small wastepaper basket. I gently set it inside. It looked weak and vulnerable, just like I felt. It was my fault Ichigo had been stabbed, my fault he was laying in this hospital bed… my fault he had almost died. I shook my head. No, thinking like this won't undo the past. Inuoe put her hand on my shoulder.

"Let's go and get some fresh air, it will do you some good."

Dr. Unohana closed the door to her office as Masmoto sat in the chair across from the doctor's desk.

"Masmoto, you were very lucky today that I was in town, otherwise….. well, things could have gotten nasty back at the Soul Society."

Masmoto slumped in her chair.

"I had only just found out from the Innkeeper, Shila, that he was hurt."

A short, white haired boy in black robes and a white overcoat stepped out from behind a steel filing cabinet.

"Well the Captains, including myself, are under the impression that you should have kept a better eye on him."

He handed her a folded sheet of paper.

"Read it Lieutenant Captain Masmoto."

She flipped her hair.

"Honestly, after fifteen years, this is how you greet me, shorty?"

The white haired boy raged,

"Masmoto! Don't call your Captain Shorty! You are to call me Captain Hitisahas! Now read the letter!"

"Fine, fine, Captain Shorty."

Masmoto opened the letter as Hitisahas fumed silently in a corner. As she read the page, her brow furrowed.

"This says that you are releasing Ichigo from my care, and are bringing him to the city so you can oversee his actions more clearly."

She looked up from her reading.

"I made one small mistake."

"Which almost killed him."

Masmoto shot him an ugly look.

"Anyways, I thought that we were going to keep him in the country, so if something happened, there would be less damage."

Coming back from his corner, Hitishas answered.

"The Captains decided that in the city, they could place handlers around him more easily without being noticed."

"So basically, you're spying on him."

"Exactly."

"Who are you sending?"

"The Captains have not decided yet."

Masmoto sighed.

"Apparently I have no choice in the matter, however what about Hisian, she and Ichigo have grown very close over the past few weeks, they are like brother and sister."

Dr. Unohana spoke.

"I believe that having Hisian in a new environment will be beneficial to Ichigo's wellbeing. I will ask Head Captain Yamato if he will allow it."

Masmoto began twirling her hair around her finger.

"If your goal is to be kept updated about Ichigo's growth in power, how will you get him to confide anything strange to you?"

And then, Dr. Unohana smiled. It was a sweet, but commanding smile that was scary to look at. No wonder Captain White Hair and Captain Cherry Blossom were afraid of her.

"You will rent a house in the city and Hisian and Ichigo will still live with you. Every time you prepare their food, you will put a substance in Ichigo's meal. This substance, or Glycerine Brymine, absorbs Spirit Energy and creates symptoms general to what you might find in someone with lung problems. These might include occasional trouble breathing, shortness of breath, easily passing out, ect…"

Masmoto looked shocked.

"You want me to give Ichigo something like that?"

"I will give him a shot every time he comes her that will temporarily counteract the effects of Glycerine Brymine."

"Temporarily?"

"Yes temporarily. He will need to come to me often so I can test his progress."

"How are you going to be able to tell if he's growing if the Gly-whatever absorbs his Spirit Energy?"

"The Glycerine Brymine stores the Spirit energy, and with a special light, I will be able to see the Spirit Energy collected. He however, should not be able to use it."

Hisitahas spoke up.

"The Captains wish to control Ichigo Kurosaki unlike, last time."

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"What would happen if we just shipped him off somewhere and left him alone?"

Dr. Unohana got to her feet and opened her office door. As Masmoto and Hisitahas walked out, Captain Unohana said,

"The Hollows would eat him."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 7 **

Inoue and I got back from our coffee trip and headed towards Ichigo's white hospital room. When we pushed open the door, we found Auntie sitting on Ichigo's bed stroking his hand. We shuffled forward, and sat on the bed edge with her. We all sat awkwardly until Inoue said,

"I wonder what boys dream about?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 8 **

His mind was suspended as blurry images flashed. A distorted face screamed as he revolved slowly. His lungs would not fill with air, and it felt as if his soul were being sucked out of his body. He was falling,

Falling,

Falling.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 9**

We moved to a new house in the city after Ichigo had recovered sufficiently. The neighborhood was nice, but it seemed too calm. One good thing was that none of the people knew me and I could have a new start. Ever since I had come to live with Auntie, people had just viewed me as the relative of the crazy lady with the doll house home. Not to mention we were strange. We did not follow typical small town procedures like attending town meetings or football games. We didn't paint our house a solid color, Auntie wasn't on the parent council, and we liked cats better than the hunting dogs that were raised in the town. Overall, we were not like everyone else. The new house was what Auntie called a cookie-cutter house with no individuality at all, just like the neighborhood. Well that was about to change. I looked at Ichigo. August was just beginning, and the air was already chilly, so I could see a cloud of mist around his nose. Doubtless he could see my cloud as well. He noticed my attention and smiled. He didn't say anything; he was probably thinking about something.

"_This place is different, huh?"_

Ichigo looked around.

"_I guess. It seems almost familiar to me_."

We walked through the door and into a mudroom where Ichigo almost immediately took off his shoes. I stared at him, and he shrugged.

"_It's a mudroom isn't it? We should take off our shoes."_

The house was nice, in a modern way. The furniture wasn't like we were used to, with its curves and metal furnishings. Auntie had always preferred a more classical approach when it came to decorating. However, the furniture had come with the house. That was fine with us; now we wouldn't have to unload furniture. We would have enough trouble unloading all of Auntie's stuff.

After all the boxes were inside, we started unloading our things. After I was finished, I went to check up on Ichigo. Dr. Unohana had advised us to live in the city so Ichigo could remain in the hospital's close vicinity. Apparently, the puncture of his lung could have unforeseen side effects. But as I saw it, it would create a chance for him to become more accustomed to the world. We had even enrolled in a nearby school. Auntie's work had allowed her to move to the city and take over the museum part of their excavation project over the War of Black. Everything was set.

I found Ichigo in his new room. Looking at the two empty boxes on the floor, I realized how little he actually owned. He had some clothes, a couple of books, and, odly enough, a black cat stuffed animal, which lay beside him on his bed. That was all; he didn't even have his own bed spread, just one he had borrowed from me.

And it had flowers on it.

I picked up my cell and called Inoue. To both her and Ichigo I said,

"We're going shopping. Now."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Shopping was something new.

And it lasted forever.

Hisian and I went to this place called the Mall.

Under this brightly colored canvas (she called it an umbrella) we waited to meet up with Hisian's friend Inoue.

Inoue was nice, but she seemed kinda timid around me.

I looked around. This place... It was hard to describe. It was noisy and crowded with weird smells and far too many people.

A breeze carried a familiar scent to our table.

Strawberries.

"Inoue's coming."

We heard her before she came insight. Not her voice or footsteps, but the wolf-whistles that accompanied her. I guess she was what people would call hot. I dunno. Maybe regular males were attracted to what Hisian calls tank tops and short shorts.

That doesn't make sense, why call shorts short? They should call them...I'll just have to ask Hisian what to call them later.

I looked around. It seemed as if everyone at the food court was looking at our table. I squirmed uncomfortably, but not enough for Hisian to notice.

Hisian greeted Inoue with a hug.

"Since this is Ichigo's first time at the mall, I believe we should get the quick stuff out of the way and then spend the rest of our time exploring and teaching Ichigo about social gatherings."

Inoue says.

After that, we hit the stores.

We started with getting what Inoue called "necessities". We got sheets, a comforter, a wall clock, soap, my own tooth brush and toothpaste, a comb (apparently it is polite to 'brush your hair' as she calls it), and some other stuff. This necessity shopping was all over in about an hour. Then we all went back to the food court and Inoue told us about her "epic" plan. When we arrived, Inoue led us to a secluded table where a lone girl sat. As we came closer, I could smell cherry blossoms. A word came to my mind. Sakura. Her smell seemed almost familiar.

She looked up.

"So Inoue, these are your new friends. Hi, I'm Rukia."

She had a sharp chin and hair as black as Hisian's. Her face and posture told secrets of something different than the other girls.

His body moved on his own, and he bent into a bow.

"Rukia-chan.-..."

He couldn't remember the rest of the words Hisian had taught him to say in a greeting.

She stood up, and then he realized that Rukia was shorter than Hisian.

He tried to sound politely interested but still masking his initial purpose.

"Are you in what Hisian calls middle school?"

I could almost see an angry tick on her forehead.

Suddenly she swept my legs out from under me. When I hit the ground, she jumped on my back and started moving her fingers across the back of my neck.

I started laughing uncontrollably.

"Wh-at are yo-u d-oing?"

Inoue and Hisian pulled a protesting Rukia off me, laughing.

"Come on Rukia, it was Ichigo's attempt for a polite conversation."

"Yeah, by calling me a middle schooler? I'm gonna tickle him so much that he dies laughing!"

He got up and bowed.

I am very sorry I mistook your age."

She looked me up and down.

"You're no fun."

"Fine then."

I walked over and rested my arm on her head.

"That better..."

Hisian supplied, "pip-squeak "

This thing they called "clothes shopping" seemed like a weird tradition. I had thought that we only needed a couple pairs, as Hisian called them, of pants and shirts. Apparently not. There were all kinds of things that someone was supposed to have. Different shoes for different occasions, pants that were right for "play" and work, and different kinds for what Hisian called formal occasions, hats for protection or for looks, And shirts.

Shirts.

There were tons of them. Formal, work, sporty, torn, buttoned, collared, sleeveless, graphics, plain, the list could go on forever it seemed. In the end, I just let the girls tell me what to try on.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**  
Oh. My. Gosh.  
He was just like I remembered him. That same old half smile, half grimace. That naturally at sometimes and confusion and out of placeness he sometimes displayed that was so cute. All those things that made him untouchable to me. It seemed almost a miracle.  
A clean slate.  
But then again, he hardly seemed to notice me.

But here was a time to be with him.  
A time where we could be close.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

How did this happen?

Every few seconds, the girls would throw in a new outfit for him to try on. He would put the clothes on, go outside at their command, and spin around so they could examine him from all sides.

He noticed that Hisian gave him practical clothes like cargo pants ad plain t-shirts, but Rukia gave him weird things like sweater vests, long kaki pants, and most randomly, a rubber suit.

They laughed when he came back in that.

Rukia was practically rolling on the ground. Inoue was wiping away tears of joy. Hisian smiled at him, holding back giggles. He noticed that they were all looking down, his legs mainly.

Did he look that weird?

Hisian grabbed his shoulders and turned him around, saying "That's a wet suit for swimming"

"Swimming?"

"Yeah, it's like being in a giant bathtub"

"this rubber suit not for regular wear?"

"... No... Just go and change. We should probably get going soon."

Ichigo was turning around, when something caught his eye. It was what Hisian called 'leather'.

He pulled with him into the dressing room, as they called it. He dressed back in his old clothes, but he put the jacket on so they could see it.

When he walked out, the girls went silent.

Pause...

" Ichigo, that... It suits you.

Leather jacket.

Combat boots.

Black t-shirt.

Blue jeans.

That was so sexy.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 11**  
It was the beginning of august, and Auntie and I have decided that Ichigo should be ready for the basic classes in the high school. He seemed excited too, and I've noticed that he is an athletic genius. Just one trip to the soccer field was enough to prove that.

Inoue, Ichigo, Rukia and I had gathered at the field to play some two on two, me and Inoue vs Rukia and Ichigo.  
Secretly, Inoue and I were hoping that if we put inexperienced Ichigo with the soccer-demon Rukia, we might stand a chance.  
Boy were we mistaken.  
We ended up playing were one person from each team guarded the goal, and the other member either stayed around the middle of the field and left the opponent and your team member in a one on one match, or they were shooting.  
Of course Rukia and I, as the small and therefor fast runners, were the strikers, while Ichigo and Inoue guarded the goals.  
The first time I got past Rukia, I expected that I would get the ball in the goal with no problem.  
Completely wrong.  
The ball was barely in the air before Ichigo had caught it in one hand.  
And then he threw it.  
It landed perfectly by a astounded Rukia's feet. She grinned.  
It wasn't long before Inoue, Rukia, and I were drenched in sweat, me from running back and forth across the field, Inoue from fending off Rukia's attacks, and Rukia from trying to get the ball away from us. Only Ichigo wasn't winded; he stopped each of my kicks with a grace and ease that was astounding. After calling a break; I noticed that some guys had gathered around Ichigo. I glanced at Inoue and Rukia. We all edged toward them to eavesdrop.  
"Hey man,"  
Said a weird guy with long red hair pulled back into a pony tail and tattoos on his face and arms.  
"You wanna play some soccer withe us to let your friends have a breather?"  
I smiled, glad that Ichigo was making new friends


End file.
